Family hopes comatose Palestinian-Turkish protester will survive

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Lobna Allami was hit in the head by a tear gas capsule on May 31. DHA photo

After 18 days in an intensive care unit and two brain surgeries, Lobna Allami’s family strongly believe that the 34-year-old will survive her injuries sustained during the Gezi Park protests.

An unconscious Lobna Allami, who was hit in the head by a tear gas capsule during the police intervention on May 31, was one of the lasting images from the early days of the Gezi Park protests. Her sister, Fatin Allami, now says doctors have warned that Lobna, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, could be left with permanent damage to her brain and risks being paralyzed for the rest of her life.

“I, with all my heart, believe that she will come through,” Fatin said. Lobna was among the sit-in protesters who gathered in Taksim Square on May 31 before being dispersed by the police crackdown. That was the day when protests against a renovation plan related to Gezi Park turned into large-scale anti-government protests across Turkey.

“She was there to use her constitutional rights, she did nothing illegal,” Fatin said of her sister. “It’s hard to understand all that.”

She added that her sister “always took a stance against injustice.” When asked whether the family would start a legal battle against the police, Fatni Allami responded: “The priority is Lobna’s health at the moment.”